Following the tragic death of a special needs student who died after being left unattended for hours on a school bus in California, the Antelope Valley Schools Transportation Agency, JPA is starting a pilot project that will see biometric technology used to automatically identify students using a special needs bus. The project will rely on Iritrak Corporation’s Iritrans system, which, as the name suggests, uses iris scanning.
Here’s how it works: When a student boards or exits the bus, the Iritrans system will automatically identify that student and will notify the bus driver via audio and visual cues about which the proper stop at which the student should be embarking or disembarking. At the end of the driver’s route, the Iritrans system will notify the driver if there are any students still remaining on the bus.
The Iritrack system should indeed do the trick when it comes to the AVSTA’s efforts to ensure that no children are accidentally left on any buses. Moreover, it’s being introduced in a responsible way, with a series of meetings scheduled to consult with students’ parents or guardians, and an opt-out option available to any of those who are uncomfortable with the biometric system.
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September 24, 2015 – by Alex Perala
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